Monterey County

Monterey County

Salinas >> Police arrested two men Monday on suspicion of auto theft and other charges after chasing them down on foot through a Salinas neighborhood. Elizar Uribe, 26, and passenger Ismael Reymundo, 30, were in a 2007 Jeep Cherokee that h...

As a child, Dominic Mercurio used Fisherman’s Wharf as his playground. With his spirited pals he would pass summer days diving off ramshackle rooftops into the bay, clambering along the pier’s seamy underbelly and rigging fishing lines t...

Seaside

MOST RECENT STORIES

Desalination

Monterey >> California American Water apparently has backed off a confidential proposal aimed at seeking alternative, and perhaps higher-paying, customers for desalinated water to be returned to the Salinas Valley groundwater basin from its Monterey Peninsula desalination plant, if necessary. The proposal, in the form of a draft motion to the state Public Utilities Commission, sought permission to argue for selling a portion of its desal plant product water required by law to...

Residential fires

SALINAS >> Fifteen people were displaced early Saturday by a two-alarm fire that tore through one half of a duplex at Amarillo Way and Nogal Drive. Battalion chief Herb Shoemaker of the Salinas Fire Department said the fire, reported about 9 a.m., may have been started by a child playing with candles in a bedroom closet. Two people suffered minor injuries but refused medical attention. Shoemaker said Salinas firefighters were assisted by personnel from the Presidio of...

By Herald staff
|2 days ago

Theft

Chualar >> Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies are looking for two occupants of a car that was determined to be stolen who led police on a high-speed chase that ended in the Salinas River near Chualar. Deputies responded to a report of a domestic incident at about 1:30 a.m. on Thursday and attempted to make a traffic stop on a 1997 Honda Accord at Clay and Grant streets. The car, occupied by a juvenile and an adult male driver, drove away from the stop, continuing at...

By Herald staff
|2 days ago

Suicides

Salinas >> The woman who hanged herself in a Monterey County jail cell this week was taken into custody on a 15-year-old warrant after apparently going years without knowing she was wanted, her defense attorney said. Sandra Vela, 52, of Soledad was arrested March 12 on a 2000 charge for embezzlement, Monterey County Public Defender Deana Davis said. She was found by correctional officers Monday during a routine check, unresponsive and not breathing. Monterey County...

News

Soledad >> The Visitors and Gateway Center for Pinnacles National Park and businesses in the neighboring community of Soledad was unveiled Friday in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The center is intended to act as a tourism hub to provide visitors with information on recreational activities in Soledad and the surrounding region. The center has a small-scale representation of Pinnacles National Park and other exhibits aimed at highlighting the culture of the region. Craig...

By Herald staff
|3 days ago

Education

Salinas >> The Salinas City Elementary School District is seeking a new superintendent and invites the public to attend a meeting to help identify core principles that the community would like to see in a new superintendent. The meeting will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 29, in the Multi-purpose Room at Lincoln School, 705 California St., Salinas. For information, call 222-0680.

|4 days ago

Police Log

Date/Time Charges Location Deputy Report No. MONTEREY COUNTY, CALIFORNIA OFFICE OF THE SHERIFF Proudly protecting the community since 1850 1414 Natividad Road, Salinas, CA 93906 ■ (831) 755-3700 ■ www.montereysheriff.org This information is being provided in accordance with the California Public Records Act, Government Code Section 6254(f). Any illegal use of this information may result in criminal prosecution. Information contained here...

|4 days ago

Teacher pay

Monterey >> In an effort to make teacher salaries more competitive with neighboring districts, officials with the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District have reached an agreement with its teachers that would give them a 10 percent pay increase over three years. In the first agreement of its kind in recent memory, teachers are getting a 1 percent increase this year, retroactive to July 1, 2014, a 5 percent increase for the 2015-16 school year, and a 4 percent increase the year...

Environment

SALINAS >> Six months after it officially took effect, Monterey County’s ban on single-use plastic bags in retail stores is supposed to be fully implemented starting Friday. The bag ban ordinance, which prohibits stores in unincorporated areas of the county from offering the still-common thin plastic bags and requires a minimum 10-cent charge for paper and reusable bags, was put into effect in September but included a six-month grace period to allow retailers to get used...

Environment

Salinas >> After a two-year hiatus, Monterey County officials are ready to resume creating a community-wide plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. On Thursday, the county Alternative Energy and Environment Committee directed county staff to form a steering committee of area government, business and environmental interest group representatives to oversee the creation of a Community Climate Action Plan. Associate county planner Craig Spencer took over the initiative years...